Biography

The seventh child of the Jackson family, Michael Jackson begun his career aged 11, as a member of the family pop group, Jackson 5. He later went on to become one of the most successful solo performers of all time. Both his career and turbulent personal life have been a dominant part of pop culture since the 1970s. Guiness World Records have cited him as the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" and his album Thriller holds the record for the best-selling album ever. In 1984, Michael Jackson won 8 Grammy Awards in a single night and he has charted 13 number one singles in the Billboard Hot 100.

Michael Jackson's changing appearance and controversial behaviour, however, have affected his album sales, which have declined since the 1990s.

Childhood: In 1964, Michael Jackson joined his brothers, playing congas for their group. He later became their background singer and occasional dancer before eventually climbing to the position of lead singer when he was eight years old.

The band toured Indiana and won a local talent show, which then led to them playing a string of professional gigs, many of which were in black clubs known as the 'chitlin' circuit.'

They signed a contract with Motown Records and their first four singles ('I Want You Back', 'ABC', 'The Love You Save' and 'I'll Be There') shot them to stardom. Jackson released four solo studio albums on Motown whilst still a member of the group.

Following a name-change to The Jacksons, due to legal wranglings with Motown, Michael was the lead songwriter from 1976 to 1984 and during this time, he made acquaintance with Quincy Jones, who agreed to produce Jackson's first solo album in four years

Solo albums: Off The Wall - Invincible

Off the Wall (1979): This album made music history by being the first ever to contain four top ten hits. Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney both have writing credits on the album. The album eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Thriller (1982): Thriller is the best selling album of all time and sent Jackson's fame global. It also became the first album in history to contain seven top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for 'Billie Jean' was the first video by a black artist to receive regular MTV airplay, whilst the 13-minute video for 'Thriller' was revolutionary for its time and became the best-selling music home video ever, when it was packaged with the featurette Making Michael Jackson. Whilst performing 'Billie Jean' in 1983, he debuted his signature dance move, the 'Moonwalk.'

Bad (1987): Bad received over two million advance orders before it was released and was his final album to be produced by Quincy Jones, who forced him to cut the 30-strong collection of Michael Jackson songs down to 11. The album generated more Billboard number 1 hits than any other album ever released. His accompanying tour had record-breaking attendance figures, playing 123 concerts to over 4.4 million fans. The level of fame that he now enjoyed drew parallels to The Beatles and Elvis Presley.

Dangerous (1991): The anticipation of Dangerous was marked by the theft of 30,000 copies of the album being stolen at Los Angeles International Airport before it was officially released. The biggest hit from the album was 'Black or White', which was accompanied by a controversial video, which featured several scenes which were construed as having a sexual and violent nature. The 14 minute video was edited to remove the offending scenes. The video was premiered in 27 countries simultaneously and had the largest ever viewing figures for a music video (around 500 million)

HIStory (1995): HIStory received four Grammy nomination and won one Grammy. It sold over 18 million copies worldwide, which earned it the title of the biggest selling multiple disc album of all time by a solo artist. More than four and a half million people attended the accompanying promotional tour. The first disc was a greatest hits package, whilst the second contained fifteen new numbers. At the Brit Awards, Michael Jackson was awarded the title Artist of a Generation, but his performance at the ceremony was interrupted by Jarvis Cocker, singer of the band Pulp, who leapt onstage and made rude gestures. Cocker was arrested on suspicion of assault but released without charge.

Invincible (2001): Debuting at number one in 13 countries, Invincible went on to sell nearly eight million copies worldwide. Shortly before the album's release, Michael Jackson told Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music Entertainment, that he would not be renewing his contract with them. All subsequent single releases, video shoots and promotions for the album were then cancelled. This led to Jackson tagging Mottola as a 'devil' who did not support African American Artists, and used black artists for his own personal gain. His increasingly eccentric image and the lack of promotion for the album conspired to make this album less successful than his previous releases.

In September 2001, Usher, Whitney Houston, 'N Sync, the Jacksons and Slash performed at Jackson's 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Gardens.

Since his death, two posthumous Michael Jackson albums have been released. In 2010, Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment unveiled a collection of previously unreleased songs entitled 'Michael'. The album featured Akon, 50 Cent and Lenny Kravitz but received mixed critical reception.

In 2014, 'Xscape' was released. Featuring the singles 'Love Never Felt So Good' and 'Slave to the Rhythm', the album was received much more favourably.

Private Life: Jackson's father, Walter was a strict disciplinarian and many of the Jackson family have stated that they were spanked and whipped by their father for misbehaving.

In 1994, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. They divorced less than two years later, amid rumours that their marriage was a sham and had not been consummated.

Michael Jackson then went on to marry his dermatologist's nurse, Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he had a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (also known as Prince) and a daughter, named Paris Katherine Jackson. The couple divorced in 1999. Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket) was born in 2002.

Michael Jackson attracted a media frenzy when he was pictured holding his baby outside a hotel window, with a cloth draped over the child's head. He was accused of being an irresponsible father, to which he responded "I love my children.I was holding my son tight."

Jackson's physical appearance has also garnered much press attention over the years. Throughout his youth, his skin was a medium-brown colour but in 1982, his skin started to become gradually paler. Some elements of the media claim that he was bleaching his skin, though he dismissed these claims on The Oprah Winfrey Show, stating that he had the disease vitiligo. The physical structure of his face also changed amid speculations that he has undergone several cosmetic procedures.

Child molestation charges were brought against Michael Jackson when he was reported to be allowing children to sleep over at his Neverland ranch. In 1993, Jordan Chandler, represented by a civil lawyer accused Jackson of child sexual abuse. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, rumoured to be US$20 million. The family then dropped the charges against Jackson.

Later in 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, all regarding one boy, named Gavin Arvizo, who was under 14 at the time of the incidents. Jackson was acquitted on all counts.

Finances: In 1985, Michael Jackson purchased ATV Music Publishing, which owns the publishing rights to The Beatles' songs, among others. In 1995, Sony Music Publishing merged with Jackson to create Sony-ATV. Jackson's 50% share is rumoured to be worth US$500 million. He also owns all of his own publishing, called MiJac which contains all of his own music catalogue and that of Sly & The Family Stone.

In 2006, state labor officials from California closed Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. He was fined US$ 69,000 for failing to provide employment insurance. He is also liable for up to 10 days pay for the 69 employees who are now no longer allowed to report to Neverland for work. Thirty Neverland employees have sued Michael Jackson for unpaid wages, totaling $US 306,000

Also in 2006, a federal judge allowed a $48 million claim against Jackson for unpaid fees and breach of contract, relating the refinancing of Jackson's debts and claiming a larger stake in the library of Beatles songs.

Death: On 25th June 2009, it was announced that Michael Jackson had died of a cardiac arrest. He had been at his rented home in Los Angeles when he stopped breathing. His personal physician was with him and attempted to resuscitate him but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at around 2:25 pm local time.

The incident happened less than a month before Michael Jackson was set to undertake a mammoth 50-date residency at the O2 arena in London.

A memorial was held for Michael Jackson on 7th July 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Amongst the performers were Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Stevie Wonder and Lionel Ritchie.

The Trial of Conrad Murray: Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in February 2010. The trial began at the end of September 2011 and one of the key pieces of evidence used against Dr. Murray was that he instructed Jackson's bodyguards to hide evidence of his medical drug intake before he instructed them to call the emergency services.

The guilty verdict arrived on 7th November 2011. Murray was later sentenced to four years' imprisonment, though it is unlikely that he shall serve the full term, due to over-crowding in the prisons.

An emailed statement from the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paolo on Monday morning (July 27th) said that the 87 year old patriarch of the Jackson family had a stroke the previous day and was admitted to their intensive care facility. The statement also says that he has an irregular heartbeat, but does not disclose Jackson’s precise condition at this time.

Ahmed Best, who ended up voicing the despised CGI character, said that MJ was pressing George Lucas to let him play Jar Jar dressed in prosthetic limbs.

A new interview has revealed that one of the most hated movie characters of all time – Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, no less – might have been even more annoying. Michael Jackson was apparently very enthusiastic to play the irritating Gungan in prosthetic limbs, but was refused by George Lucas.

Ahmed Best, who actually did play Jar Jar, gave an interview with Vice on Thursday in which he made the revelation. Jackson, who passed away in June 2009, was known to be a keen Star Wars fan, keeping life-size figures of Darth Vader, C-3PO and Boba Fett at his Neverland ranch.

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, now called Sycamore Valley Ranch, is up for sale for $100 million.

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch is on the market with an asking price of $100 million. The former Neverland Ranch, which has been renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch, is being sold by the Estate of Michael Jackson. The 2700 acre estate, located in California, was once notorious for both its fantastical theme park installations and for the extensive searches which were carried out when Jackson was accused of molesting a minor in 2003.

The Beatles star's Maton Mastersound guitar fetches the highest bid at Julien's Auctions in New York.

The Fab Four may have once sung "Can't buy me love", but Friday's auction at the Hard Rock Cafe proved you can buy George Harrison's prized Maton Mastersound guitar - if you have almost half a million dollars handy.

George Harrison (far right) with the rest of the Fab Four

Rolling Stone reports that the instrument sold for $485,000, the top earner at Julien's Auctions in New York, which specialized in the sale of hundreds of rare items from the world of music.

“I never met him, never shook his hand, but he found out the name I stayed in hotels under, so it didn't matter where I was, he'd ring up do this kind of thing, like you did when you were 10, you know. 'Is Mr. Wall there? Is Mrs. Wall there? Are there any Walls there? Then what's holding the roof up? Ha ha.' You're supposed to grow out of doing that, right?”

The live TV event follows 2013’s ‘The Sound of Music Live’ starring Carrie Underwood and last year’s ‘Peter Pan Live!’

After taking us to Salzburg in 2013, then flying us off to Neverland last year, NBC will next be taking us on a trip down the yellow brick road for a live television production of musical ‘The Wiz’. Working with NBC to bring the musical to life on the small screen with be Cirque Du Soleil’s new stage theatrical division, which will produce alongside the network.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced NBC’s previous two musical ventures, The Sound of Music and Peter Pan, will be returning as executive producers. While famed Broadway director Kenny Leon will be directing the project.

California appeals court denies a request for a new trial in the Michael Jackson comeback concerts case.

An appeals court in California has upheld the original jury’s decision in the case of the Michael Jackson comeback concerts, which held that the promoter of the concerts was not responsible for the superstar’s death.

A 39-page ruling was delivered on Friday, a week after lawyers acting for Jackson’s mother Katherine had put in a request for a new trial. The 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the verdict absolving concert promoters AEG Live LLC was viable.

Michael Jackson's death was not the fault of promoters AEG Live, a court has upheld

The band have just revealed details of a new compilation entitled ‘Queen Forever’

Queen Forever, a new album being compiled by Queen’s guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, will feature a previously unreleased duet between frontman Freddie Mercury and the King of Pop Michael Jackson.

Queen's Roger Taylor and Brian May

‘There Must Be More To Life Than This’ was first written by Mercury during Queen’s Hot Space album sessions, but was never finished. Mercury later visited Jackson to record his vocals for the 1984 LP The Works, but the song was still left unfinished. It would later appear as a solo track on Mercury’s album Mr Bad Guy.

The album is already on the road to sales success ahead of its actual release.

It’s about time for another round of Michael Jackson nostalgia, with A Place With No Name, the first single off his posthumous album, released yesterday. The single came along with a video, released late on Wednesday via the late icon’s Twitter. And yes, the video is available worldwide, so if you haven’t seen it yet, what are you even doing? The release of A Place With No Name marked a milestone of sorts – it was the first time Twitter has been used for a music video release.

MJ's legacy lives on in XSCAPE.

But since this is Michael Jackson’s music we’re talking about, it couldn’t just be a low-key Twitter premiere. At the same moment the video dropped, it also started playing on the Sony screen in Times Square in NYC, for thousands of passersby.

Umm, Beyonce will be performing at the MTV Video Music Awards... is anyone really , surprised? Bey is everywhere these days. In the wake of her surprise album last December Bey has been at every show and received every music award, basically. But Bey and MTV have always had a special relationship, ever since the Destiny’s Child days. Are you wondering what this is leading up to already? Here it is – Beyonce will receive the Vanguard Video award during this year’s VMAs.

We previously thought Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch would cost around $60m, but various reports are suggesting that the 1040-hectare (2,600-acre) estate could fetch anything up to $85m, making our provisional estimation seem like a bonafide bargain.

Michael Jackson's Neverland

The ranch, which was acquired by the King of Pop back in the late 80s, was valued st at $30m by California property experts, but given the context of the property and land, it looks like it could sell for between $75m and $85m. Colony Capital bought a $23.5m stake in the property just before Jackson's died from a drug overdose and heart attack in 2009.

A piece of pop music history, that's what - Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch goes up for sale

What would you do if you won the lottery this weekend? Buy a yacht? A football club? Well, you could also buy Neverland. Michael Jackson’s famous mansion / theme park in Santa Barbara is being put up for sale by property developers Colony Capital. While the property is valued at $27 million, industry insiders expect that it could sell for as high as $60 million because of its inherent value as a pop culture landmark.

While Neverland is owned by the Estate of Michael Jackson, Colony Capital have maintained a 12.5% undivided stake since 2008 when they bought out the late singer’s $23 million mortgage to prevent foreclosure on the property. Nearly six years later, Colony has exercised its legal right to sell the property in order to settle debts owed from the loan, interest etc..

Michael Jackson - Accomplishing this feat requires many photos of the famous person/character, plenty of time, and a great deal of skill... something that Cruz quite clearly has! - New York City, New York, United States - Thursday 17th July 2014

Alejandra Jackson, the ex-wife of Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine, is set to star in a new reality series. But who is she and what will the show focus on?

Members of Michael Jackson's extended family are set to star in a new reality series but most people have never heard of the focus of the upcoming show, Alejandra Jackson. So who is she and what exactly will she have to say when the six part series airs on Reelz.

Alejandra Jackson and her five children will form the focus of a new reality show.